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And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. Luke 2:8-9              The shepherds were out in the fields tending to their flocks. These humble, lowly men had jobs that kept them away from their families – nomads who followed their flocks day and night. It was a poor, lonely life – a humble audience for the very first Christmas carol ever sung.             But when Jesus was born, the heavens opened wide and the sky was filled with angels singing with voices beyond imagination. These lonely men were the audience for this most beautiful of songs, accompanied by the sight of angels filling the sky.             As we look in the Bible at places where God touches Earth – where heavenly beings come into contact with people – we find that it very often happens in extremely humble circumstances. This becomes even clearer as we look at the story of Christmas.             This announcement wasn’t made at Caesar’s palace in Rome. It wasn’t at the high, holy Temple in Jerusalem. The first announcement was the small cry of the child in a stable, and the second announcement was by angels above a humble pasture with an audience of lowly shepherds.             No matter where you are in life, how you live, or what you have, God can meet you right there. Don’t think you have to clean yourself up first to connect with God. He’s available to you right now. Don’t wait to meet Him!

The Practice of Praise

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
Revelation 5:11–12

When the first angel appeared to the shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem, he brought the message for which Israel had been waiting for thousands of years—that the Messiah and Saviour had come into the world. But such good news could not be adequately conveyed by a single angel. Instead, a multitude of angels appeared to give praise and glory to God. This should not be a surprise, because each time the Bible reveals a glimpse of what is happening in Heaven, we see angelic praise being offered to God.
If the angels, who do not receive God’s gift of salvation praise Him, how much more should those of us who had no hope of entering His presence apart from the coming of Christ as our Saviour praise Him? We are the recipients of the greatest gift of history when we accept salvation by grace through faith. It is the height of ingratitude not to continually thank and praise God for what we have received.
Yet too often that is not the case. The Psalmist expressed his desire to see praise from those who had benefited from God’s blessings. “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8). There should be a constant stream of praise proceeding from our lips, not just at Christmas but throughout the year. The people of God have been granted that status because of His grace and the gift of His Son, and we should devote our lives to honoring and glorifying Him.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Those who rightly understand the meaning of Christmas will have hearts and mouths filled with praise.